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WHAT DO YOU
DO IF YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION HAS BEEN COMPROMISED?
It’s important to protect your personal
information, and to take certain steps quickly to minimize the
potential damage from identity theft if your information is
accidentally disclosed or deliberately stolen:
CLOSE compromised credit card accounts immediately.
C ONTACT one of the
three nationwide consumer reporting
agencies —
Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion — and place an initial fraud alert on your credit reports if someone steals
your social security number (SSN).
MONITOR your
credit report. Keep in mind that fraudulent activity may not
show up right away.
CONSULT with your
financial institution about handling the effects on bank or
brokerage accounts.
CONTACT relevant
government agencies to cancel and replace any stolen drivers
licenses or other identification documents, and to “flag” your
file.
WATCH for signs
of identity theft: late or missing bills, receiving credit
cards that you didn’t apply for, being denied credit or
offered less favorable terms for no apparent reason, or
getting contacted by debt collectors or others about purchases
you didn’t make.
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Rebate Checks
Used As Bait
Don’t let the anticipation of a government rebate or refund check cloud your judgment. Crooks are using the government’s new economic stimulus package as a tool to gain money from their victim’s financial accounts. Victims are unwittingly handing over personal information such as social security numbers and account numbers to scammers that indicate that this information is needed to complete the disbursement of funds. Some e-mails contain links to spoofed government forms or spoofed web pages that appear amazingly legitimate. The IRS does not initiate taxpayer communications through e-mails. Do not open any attachments to questionable e-mails, which may contain malicious code that will infect your computer.
Be aware of recent FDIC fraudulent correspondence. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is reminding financial institutions, businesses and consumers that fraudulent correspondence claiming to be from the FDIC continues to be mailed, faxed and e-mailed in the United States and other countries. The correspondence uses various techniques to gain the trust of recipients in hopes they will provide sensitive personal information, including bank account numbers, that can be used to steal money and other assets. Recipients should NOT, under any circumstances, respond to the fraudulent requests.
The criminals, knowing that people trust the FDIC name, have duplicated the official logo and seal in fraudulent letters, forms, certificates and other correspondence. Recent examples have included invoices, bills, transfer forms, guarantees, endorsements, and confirmations of stock and investment purchases. In some cases, recipients were asked to complete fraudulent forms and return them by fax or e-mail. In other cases, recipients were asked to remit funds via check or wire transfer service.
The FDIC rarely sends unsolicited bills or other similar documents to financial institutions, businesses and consumers. In particular, the FDIC does not send unsolicited correspondence asking for sensitive personal information, including bank account information. Anyone receiving such correspondence should contact the FDIC immediately by calling the Corporation's toll-free telephone number at 1-877-ASK-FDIC (1-877-275-3342) or by e-mailing to alert@fdic.gov. Do not use contact information listed for the FDIC in the correspondence because it is likely to be falsified
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TAKE
CHARGE: Fighting Back Against Identity Theft
This is a very
informational file provided by the Federal Trade Commission. Due to the size of the file it may take
several minutes to open.
Virus Protection
Anti-Spyware and Windows Updates are a MUST for a
Healthy Computer! There
are many reputable companies that offer virus protection and anti-spyware, the two most
popular being
Symantec
or McAfee
(neither
company affiliated with Jackson County Bank, but for reference use
only).
Virus
protection and anti-spyware programs require updates to keep your computer protected against
newly discovered viruses.
It is very important to keep up on the subscription to any virus or spyware
protection. Most programs
have an automatic update feature. Make sure this is turned on and set to
check for new updates and to scan your
computer regularly.
One other step to protect your computer is to
perform a
Windows Update (if you are using a Windows PC). These are updates
that can patch "holes" in Window's Internet security through which some
malicious programs or viruses could attack. To perform a Windows Update
go to Start, Programs and click on the Windows Update button (usually at the top of the Programs list),
or click on the Windows Update link above. Here you can click scan for updates, and
when the scan is completed, install at least the critical updates. If
your computer has never before been updated, this could take some time and
require you to restart. |
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 Webbed Banker Tidbits
Has Phishing
Season Opened?
Don't Take the Bait!
Apparently, Phishing season
is open. But don't feel inclined to jump up for your rod and reel
and start digging for worms yet. "Phishing" is
the term for Internet attacks which involve the mass
distribution of spoofed e-mail messages. These messages may
contain return addresses, links, and branding which appear
to come from banks, insurance agencies, retailers or credit card
companies. The e-mails will contain a message indicating that
there is a need to "verify" account information. Recipients are
then prompted to click on a link which will request personal
information such as passwords and personal identification
numbers for their account. Clicking on the link alone may
initiate a malicious code on your computer, but responding to
the request may result in financial loss, identity theft or
other fraudulent activity. Many phishing scams include e-mails
targeted to spoofed sites of PayPal, eBay, Citibank,
Chase and FDIC, but more and more
community banks are being targeted.
Because these e-mails look remarkably official, possibly even
using the business logo or very similar web or e-mail addresses,
up to 20% of recipients may respond to them.
Threats of this type, although
intimidating, shouldn’t prohibit you from using the wealth of financial
tools the Internet has to offer. Just be sure to practice common sense
security practices, be aware, and use reputable sources. Think of it like
crossing a busy street. You wouldn’t stand on a street corner all day and
refuse to cross because a car may come by. Instead you’d protect yourself by
looking both ways, crossing when it’s safe and staying in the crosswalk.
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